Providing Insights that Contribute to Better Health Policy

Advanced Search Instructions

Use an to perform a wildcard search.Example: prescript* would return "prescription", "prescriptions" etc.

""

Use quotes to match a phrase.Example: "prescription drug" only returns results where the words are next to each other.

+

Use a plus sign to perform a search where the additional term MUST be part of the page.Example: prescription +drug

-

Use a minus sign to perform a search where the additional term SHOULD NOT be part of the page.Example: prescription -drug

< >

Use a < > sign to perform a search where the additional term should be of greater or lesser importance in the search.Example: prescription >drugFind pages with the word precription with additional importance for the word drug.

( )

Use parentheses to group different search terms together.Example: prescription (+medicare -drug)

Physician Access to Clinical Information Technology Grows

But Many Physician Practices Still Lack IT for Patient Care

WASHINGTON, DCPhysician access to practice-based clinical
information technology (IT) grew significantly between 2000-01 and 2004-05,
according to a national study released today by the Center for Studying Health
System Change (HSC).

"While gains in physician practice-based IT for patient care are encouraging,
theres still a long way to go," said Paul B. Ginsburg, Ph.D., president
of HSC, a nonpartisan policy research organization funded primarily by The Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation.

The study examined whether physician practices used information technology
for the following five clinical activities: obtaining information about treatment
alternatives or recommended guidelines; exchanging clinical data and images
with other physicians; accessing patient notes, medication lists or problem
lists; generating preventive treatment reminders for the physicians use; and
writing prescriptions.

Based on HSCs nationally representative Community Tracking Study Physician
Survey, the studys findings are detailed in a new HSC Data BulletinGrowing
Availability of Clinical Information Technology in Physician Practicesavailable
here.

The 2000-01 survey contains information on about 12,000 physicians and had a
59 percent response rate, and the 2004-05 survey includes information from more
than 6,600 physicians and had a 52 percent response rate.

Between 2000-01 and 2004-05, the proportion of physicians reporting access
to IT for each of the five clinical activities grew by at least 5 percentage
points. Changes in the proportion of physicians with access to IT for each of
the clinical activities between 2000-01 and 2004-05 are as follows:

"For example, nearly 80 percent of physicians surveyed couldnt use IT
to write prescriptions, and a third didnt have IT for the easiest-to-implement
activityaccessing guidelines and treatment alternatives," Reed said.

The study also found that physicians were more likely to be in practices that
used IT for multiple clinical activities in 2004-05 than four years earlier.
The proportion of physicians reporting their practice has IT access for four
or all five of the clinical activities nearly doubled over the period, growing
from 11.1 percent to 20.9 percent. And significantly fewer physicians reported
being in practices with limited clinical IT, with the percentage of physicians
in practices with IT for no more than one clinical activity dropping from 50.6
percent to 37 percent.

The study cautioned that the findings be considered an upper bound on the proportion
of physicians regularly using clinical IT in their practices because physicians
were asked about IT availability in their practice but not whether they actually
use the technology or the frequency or intensity of use.

### ###

The Center for Studying Health System Change is a nonpartisan policy research
organization committed to providing objective and timely research on the nations
changing health system to help inform policy makers and contribute to better
health care policy. HSC, based in Washington, D.C., is funded principally by
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is affiliated with Mathematica Policy
Research, Inc.